“The Extraordinary Other”: Todd Robbins in Conversation with Madelon Hoedt

Todd Robbins is a New York City based performer who has spent decades specializing in arcane forms of popular entertainment, offbeat amusements and intriguing deceptions. Todd is renowned for his work in Coney Island and the sideshow, magic, circus, ragtime piano and traditional jazz, medicine shows and burlesque. In his own words, he has spent “a lifetime immersed in popular entertainment and dark amusement.” Recently, Todd appeared in the acclaimed off-Broadway theatre show Play Dead. He can currently be seen on the Investigation Discovery channel's new series True Nightmares. Reproduced here is an interview conducted with Todd Robbins by Madelon Hoedt via Skype on June 22, 2016

Undeath in Paradise: The Humanity of the Zombie in (Religious) Utopias

The words ‘utopia’ and ‘zombie’ are likely to conjure up strong images in the mind of the reader. The first makes one think of perfection, of happiness, of something new and better; the other, of the monstrous, of death and decay. Despite the fact that these images are arguably the most common, one can question their validity: can it be said that utopias are always perfect, and are the undead always monstrous? In this paper, I aim to explore the concepts relating to both utopias and zombies and the possible connections between the two, including a reading of the undead in light of the ultimate utopia: Paradise. In the light of these analyses, I propose a more positive approach to the figure of the zombie, which will be discussed as a counterpoint to the commonly held views of (religious) utopias

Editorial

Editorial for Issue 4 of the Journal of Performance Magi